Quick 'N Dirty Review: Drive-By Truckers | The Big To-Do

Before we start, here's a quick look at the rating system that we use here at The Dirtywhirl:

100 - Classic Album; One Of The Best Of All Time
99-90 - Exceptional Work; Rush Out And Get This
89-80 - Very, Very Good; You Should Still Go Out And Get This
79-70 - Not Bad At All; Might Actually Be Worth Your Time
69-60 - Has Its Moments But On The Whole... Meh
59-50 - Won't Make Your Ears Bleed; Won't Make You Dance, Either
49-0 - Don't Waste Your Time; You're Smarter Than This (Probably) 

Now... onto the review:

Drive-By Truckers | The Big To-Do

Something strikes me as I listen to the Drive-By Truckers' latest, The Big To-Do. Everyone likes to focus on how the Athens, GA-based DBTs are the standard bearers for Southern rock, carrying the lighter for bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band. While this is true to a point, in their latest incarnation they have much more in common with a less obvious band. When you really look at them, they're like a Dixie New Pornographers. Stay with me here. Patterson Hood is the AC Newman of the band - the de facto leader of the group who's also its most prevalent voice. Mike Cooley is the Dan Bejar - the one that the critics fawn over for some inexplicable reason who is actually, well, shit. And Shonna Tucker (who nabbed vocal and songwriting duties following the departure in 2007 of her ex-husband, Jason Isbell) is the Neko Case - the world-wearied yet strong female voice amongst the boys. Comparison aside, The Big To-Do is a welcome return to form after the overstuffed and overhyped Brighter Than Creation's Dark but that being said is really no more than journeyman Southern rock, much like the New Pornographer's brand of journeyman indie rock. Nothing more, nothing less. As with any band that employs multiple vocalists you generally tend to prefer one voice over the others. Personally, Patterson Hood's songs are always much stronger to me and, at least early on, the ratio seems to be tilted in his favor. The hard rocking opener, "Daddy Learned To Fly" leads into "The Fourth Night Of My Drinking," which is like "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" except with booze and lament replacing leaping lords and golden rings. In fact, Hood gets five of the first seven tracks, ceding ground only to Cooley's maudlin "Birthday Boy" and Tucker's sublimely moving "You Got Another," which (in hearkening back to the New Pornographers parallel) would have fit seamlessly on Case's Middle Cyclone last year. In fact, "You Got Another" and "It's Gonna Be (I Told You So)," Tucker's two contributions to the album, serve as notice that Tucker is growing into her own as a songwriter and that the DBTs would be wise to grant her more real estate on future records. The Big To-Do is also home to the usual Drive-By Trucker character studies of regretful drinkers ("The Fourth Night Of My Drinking"), world-weary strippers ("Birthday Boy"), kidnappers ("The Wig He Made Her Wear"), and fed up populists ("This Fucking Job"), but is done in a much leaner and economical fashion than on previous records. In a lot of ways, The Big To-Do really is a New Pornographers record in DBT clothing - one where the highlights are present, but where the multiple vocalist approach does lead to more than a few missteps (albeit one that's also a small step in the right direction).

Standout Tracks: "You Got Another;" "Daddy Learned To Fly;" "It's Gonna Be (I Told You So);" "This Fucking Job"

Dirty Rating: 67/100